Ousmane

This is a group loan to be shared by five entrepreneurs from the Khelcom 2 Association, led by Ousmane N.. The group describes their business:

“Context of the project: Located in the tourist zone of Cap Skirring, the village of Boucotte Ouolof is a village of farmers who dedicate themselves to producing fresh fruits and vegetables. In fact, this village is the source of vegetables for the hotels in Cap Skirring. The dissatisfaction of the hotels and the fact that the demand exceeds the supply drives hotels, for example the Club Med, to purchase their fresh produce in Dakar [Senegal’s capital, a two day’s journey from Boucotte Ouolof]. In response to this situation, the Khelcom 2 Association proposes to launch this project in order to meet this demand.

Purpose of the loan: To combat migration from rural areas, improve the living conditions of our members, and satisfy the hotels’ demand for produce.

Activities: Plant 7 hectares of garden with: onions, okra, eggplants, peppers, wild eggplants, cabbage, potatoes, etc. These varieties will be sold to the hotels of Cap Skirring and other tourist-hosting facilities in the area.”

Senegal is one of the world’s poorest countries, yet its solid democratic tradition and highly developed associational life distinguish it from other countries in its income group. Especially remarkable are Senegal’s networks of rotating savings and credit associations, which provide the rural poor throughout the country with small loans to finance modest income-generating activities. Repayment rates within these groups are excellent, because they are based on local reputation and personal trust between the members. However, their financial resources are limited to the contributions of their members, frequently subsistence farmers with very little disposable income. This has prevented the traditional associations from meeting the demand for rural microenterprise loans and restricted their impact on the economic development of their communities. Senegal Ecovillage Microfinance (SEM) works with our partner organization CRESP to bridge this gap by linking traditional village credit associations with outside sources of finance.